What Is NEFT & RTGS?

sagar.modi11
NEFT and RTGS are two main mechanisms to transfer money from one bank to another bank in India.

Transferring money between two accounts in same bank is pretty straight forward and its an internal matter of the bank, it does not have to deal with other banks and their protocols, however when one bank wants to send the money to another bank in India, there is a defined mechanism it has to be done and hence NEFT and RTGS comes into picture. Both these systems are maintained by Reserve Bank of India.

NEFT – National Electronic Fund Transfer

NEFT is a system of transfer between two banks on net settlement basis. Which means that each individual transfer from one account to another account is not settled or processed at that same moment, it is done in batches. A lot of transactions are settled in one go in each batches. Presently, NEFT services are available from 8:00 am to 6:30 pm on weekdays (Mon – Fri) and from 8:00 am – 12:30 pm on Saturday.

Any NEFT Transfer done between 8 am – 5 pm generally gets settled on the same day, but if you deposit the money after 5 pm, then that will be settled the next working day. In case of Saturday, any money deposited between 8 am – 12 noon will reach the same day.

RTGS – Real Time Gross Settlement

RTGS is a system of money transfer between two banks in real time basis, which means the moment one bank account transfer the money to another bank account, its settled at that time itself on real time basis between the banks, but the beneficiary bank has to make the final settlement to the bank account within two hours of getting the money.

RTGS is the fastest possible money transfer between two banks in India through a secure channel.
ananttrivedi
Thanks Sagar, I need one clarification....... is it true that: NEFT system used for below Rs. 2 lacs transaction& RTGS system used for more than Rs. 2 lacs transactions ?
sagar.modi11
Dear Anant,
You are right.
While RTGS is used for high value transactions (above INR 2 Lakh), NEFT can be used for any amount, inclusive of paisa component.
A.V.Suresh
Hi Anant,
There is no minimum limit for using NEFT, but for RTGS, minimum amount would be Rs.2 lakhs. Also, the charges are slightly different for these. Go through this link for the charges and other details on NEFT, RTGS and IMPS - Fund Transfer Charges of NEFT, RTGS and IMPS -InvestmentYogi
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